There’s a quiet presence on the LSU men’s tennis team. In the weight room, on the sideline and in the classroom, freshman Cameron Andry has a reserved but focused outlook on his work.
Although timid, his work ethic in everything he does is apparent, whether it’s his engineering classes or afternoon tennis practices. His hard work paid off throughout his tennis career, as he earned a roster spot on the team for the 2016 season.
“Since I was seven, I’ve always had a dream of playing for LSU,” Andry said. “I thought I wouldn’t get the opportunity, but I worked hard and coaches decided to give me a spot [on the team], which was exciting news.”
After getting on the roster, Andry focused on improving his game at practice and learning from the older players on the team.
“Some stuff I’d like to improve would be my serve and getting into the college [level] of game,” he said.
LSU coach Jeff Brown said experience is one of the biggest things Andry had to gain with the team and complimented his intensity at practice.
Andry’s humility and willingness to learn from seasoned members of the team has not gone unnoticed by his older teammates.
Senior Boris Arias noticed Andry’s fall tournament play, including improvements in his forehand and serving since the start of the year. Arias said Andry fits in well with the team and is showing improvement.
“There was no negative,” Andry said when asked about his relationship with his teammates. “[They] make sure I’m ready [to play].”
Out of all the older members of the roster, Andry describes a particular mentorship from senior Tam Trinh, who helped introduce him to the program.
“I took summer classes, me and Tam were here over the summer,” Andry said. “We |hung out a lot and [he] taught me a lot of things. He got me into the motions of being on this team.”
While focused on tennis, Andry balances his time spent improving on the court with his classes as an engineering major. “It’s really hard. I don’t have an hour of the day of free time,” Andry said. “I’ve been very disciplined since I was little, and you just have to do it.”
As a freshman on a veteran heavy team with three seniors and two juniors in the starting lineup, both Andry and coach Brown were unsure how much playing time he would receive this season,
“For him, it remains to be seen how many dual matches he’ll be involved in, but everyday is another oppurtunity to get closer to get into that position,” Coach Brown said. “He’ll have to make some jumps in his game, physically … We hope he can improve into an everyday player in the lineup.”
Andry has a cheerful and positive attitude about his playing time though.
“[I] look forward to cheering on the team and getting some really good wins,” he said.
Despite the limited playing time or jokes from his teammates, Andry puts his head down and continues to quietly work hard, like he has for years.